Fantasy Author Writes Incomplete Contract

Pat Rothfuss, a subject of our Law and Hard Fantasy Interview Series, is running a charity raffle. Most of the items to be raffled are of the traditional-but-fun department: signed books, selling a character name, manuscript drafts by him and others. But on item is special: the golden ticket. As he originally described it, the ticket (which would be allocated in a drawing), was quite flexible:

“If you win this prize, I will owe you one (1) favor. You can cash it in however you like. You want your name in book two? We can do that. You want me to read your book and give you some criticism? No problem. You want me to attend your local convention, perform your wedding ceremony, or just give you a nice backrub? Consider it done. A few stipulations: [1] The favor has to be legal. (More or less.)[; 2] It has to be something I can actually do. (Duh)[; 3] I can’t make anyone fall in love.”

Pat has now re-thought this radically incomplete offer. In a more recent post, he’s offered a few qualifications– though still not enough, to my risk-averse way of thinking. Now, just to really rain on his parade, what’s your view on whether the ticket is sufficiently concrete to serve as an offer under the Restatement?

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Dave Hoffman

Dave Hoffman is the Murray Shusterman Professor of Transactional and Business Law at Temple Law School. He specializes in law and psychology, contracts, and quantitative analysis of civil procedure. He currently teaches contracts, civil procedure, corporations, and law and economics.